CVE-2026-44290
Official description Straight from the sourceThe vendor's or NVD's own wording, published unedited. Authoritative, but often terse — it says what broke, rarely what to do.
NVD · uneditedprotobufjs compiles protobuf definitions into JavaScript (JS) functions. Prior to 7.5.6 and 8.0.2, protobufjs allowed certain schema option paths to traverse through inherited object properties while applying options. A crafted protobuf schema or JSON descriptor could cause option handling to write to properties on global JavaScript constructors, corrupting process-wide built-in functionality. This vulnerability is fixed in 7.5.6 and 8.0.2.
Technical summary Written by usOur analysis, written from the advisory, the CVSS vector and the affected-version data. It adds context the advisory leaves out, and never invents facts that are not in the source.
dbcve analysis · high confidenceprotobufjs versions prior to 7.5.6 and 8.0.2 contain a prototype pollution vulnerability where schema option paths traverse inherited object properties during option application. A crafted protobuf schema or JSON descriptor can write to properties on global JavaScript constructors (like Object.prototype), corrupting process-wide built-in functionality.
Verify against the referenced sources before acting — the references below are authoritative for this CVE, this summary is not.
Affected products & versions What the vendor confirmedThe version ranges the vendor confirmed as vulnerable. If your version sits inside a range here, treat yourself as exposed until you have upgraded.
NVD · CPE data< 7.5.6>= 8.0.0, < 8.0.2CVSS breakdown How the score is builtThe industry scoring standard. It rates how the flaw is reached, what it takes to exploit, and what an attacker gains — the score is derived from those, not the other way round.
From the vector- Attack vector
- Network
- Complexity
- Low
- Privileges
- None
- User interaction
- None
- Scope
- Unchanged
- Confidentiality
- None
- Integrity
- None
- Availability
- High
CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:N/I:N/A:H
Am I affected? How to checkSteps we derive from the advisory and the affected-version data, so you can decide whether this CVE reaches your setup. They are a guide, not a scan — your own configuration is the authority.
dbcve checksWork through these to decide whether this CVE applies to you.
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Identify installed protobufjs versionRun 'npm list protobufjs' or check package.json dependencies to see the exact version of protobufjs installed in your projectAffected if The version is less than 7.5.6, or greater than or equal to 8.0.0 but less than 8.0.2
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Find protobuf schema loading codeSearch your codebase for calls to protobufjs load/loadSync methods or JSON descriptor parsing functions that process .proto files or descriptor JSON filesAffected if Your application loads or parses protobuf schemas from external or untrusted sources
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Check for JSON descriptor processingInspect any code that uses protobufjs to parse JSON descriptors, particularly with the 'any' or 'option' fields being processedAffected if JSON descriptors with option fields are being processed by protobufjs
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Inspect Object.prototype for unexpected propertiesRun 'console.log(Object.keys(Object.prototype))' or check if new properties appear on Object.prototype that were not intentionally addedAffected if Object.prototype contains unexpected or malicious properties that were not explicitly set by your code
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Audit constructor modificationsCheck other built-in constructors (Array, Function, String, etc.) for unexpected properties that could indicate prototype pollution has occurredAffected if Any built-in constructors have additional properties that were not intentionally defined
You are affected if protobufjs version is below 7.5.6 or between 8.0.0 and 8.0.2, and your application processes protobuf schemas or JSON descriptors, especially from untrusted sources.
Generated from the published advisory. Verify against your own configuration.
Remediation Closing itWhat it takes to close this. Where a vendor fix exists we point at it; where none exists we say so plainly, and can build one. Effort estimates are scoped from the advisory, not from your codebase.
dbcve · scoped7.5.68.0.2
Upgrade protobufjs to version 7.5.6 or 8.0.2 or later. Audit existing protobuf schemas and JSON descriptors for malicious option paths that could traverse to inherited/global properties.
protobufjs 7.5.6 or later (7.x branch); protobufjs 8.0.2 or later (8.x branch)
- Check the current version of protobufjs in your project by running `npm list protobufjs` or reviewing package.json
- Update the protobufjs dependency in package.json to version 7.5.6 or higher (if on the 7.x line), or version 8.0.2 or higher (if on the 8.x line)
- Run `npm update protobufjs` or `npm install` to install the fixed version
- Verify the installed version matches the expected fixed version using `npm list protobufjs`
- Test your application thoroughly to ensure the protobuf functionality works correctly with the updated library
Generated from the published advisory — verify against the referenced sources before acting.
- Consultation2.0 h
- Implementation2.0 h
- Testing4.0 h
- Review / QA2.0 h
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Scan for this in your stack
Free · runs locallyCheck whether your project pulls in CVE-2026-44290 — or any other known-vulnerable package — straight from your lock files. Free and open source; it runs locally and uploads nothing.
References Go to the primary sourcePrimary sources — vendor advisories, patches and trackers. Where our summary and a reference disagree, the reference wins.
Primary sourcesPractitioner notes
ContributedPeer-ranked notes from engineers who’ve handled CVE-2026-44290 in production — separate from our analysis above.
The advisory tells you what broke. It rarely tells you what actually worked. If you’ve dealt with this one, that detail is what the next engineer is searching for.
- The version that genuinely resolved it — not the one the vendor claimed
- A config change or rule that shut the vector down
- A gotcha in the upgrade path that cost you an afternoon
No notes yet
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- Version or environment caveats, and links to real fixes
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